Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.5.18
SB 2.5.18
Open the full passageSanskrit
sattvaṁ rajas tama iti nirguṇasya guṇās trayaḥ sthiti-sarga-nirodheṣu gṛhītā māyayā vibhoḥ
Translation
The Supreme Lord is pure spiritual form, transcendental to all material qualities, yet for the sake of the creation of the material world and its maintenance and annihilation, He accepts through His external energy the material modes of nature called goodness, passion and ignorance.